Fruit-pitting apparatus



J. P. BEM

FRUIT FITTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 6. 1924 lNVElvToR.

JOIE/9H BEM.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Dec. 2 2-,

UNITED ls'iplx'rias PATENT OFFICE".

JOSEPH P. BEI, Ol' FRESNO, OALIPOBNIA., ASSIGNOB. T0 PAOIPIO PII'TING ucm COMPANY INC., F FBESNO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION Ol' CALUOBNIA.

imnrrfrmme Arrmrus.

appuanon md october e, 1924. semi in. mavo.-

fornia, lhave invented new and useful Improvements in a Fruit-Fitting Apparatus,

' of which the following is a specification, and

which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to fruit pitting or coriiig apparatus in general, and in particular to the type of a paratus shown and described in my co-pen ing application for patent on peach pitting machine, filed MayL 9, 1924, under Ser. No. 712,060, and has to do with certain improvements in the knife operatingv and controlling mechanism therefor.

The objects of the improvements are to provide knife operating and controlling mechanism which will accomplish certain results either not accomplished, or not so well, in the former mechanism of the copending patent application referred to, and to better adapt the machine to the coring of fruits, such as pears, etc., which have no single large pit for guiding the resiliently mounted knives around the core.

Since the improvements herein described concern knife actuating and control elements which are adapted for direct use in the mechanism sol fully shown and described in my co-pendingapplication aforesaid, the

drawings hereto will be confined to the im-r proved parts only together with enough of the associated parts as to make them operative, as the general operation of the .whole machine as previously shown is not altered, and the parts shown inthe drawings hereto will bear similar designating numerals to the arts shown in the drawings in said cot pen Iig 'application where they perform the same functions.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an approximately full size side elevation of one of my arched oscillating pitting blades complete'in its mounting, Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of Figure 1 taken along the line 2-2 thereof and showing the cam control for the blade travel, Figure 3 is a reduced broken elevation of the machine parts showing the connections to thel motor for oscillating the blade, and Figure 4 is a reduced perspective broken view s owing the operatin and contrpl elements f or Swingin the b ades, and Fiire 5 a larger detai o? the blade release loc on the control lever, taken on the line 5 of Fig. 4.

With reference to the drawings, it should be noted that but one com lete blade and its actuating mechanism is s own, tho in the actual machine two blades are used, one for pitting each half of the peach presented, each against a confronting pitting table 10 for cutting out the half pit or core by the arched blade 79 swinging in a curve through the fruit half upon revolving the shaft 63 about a half turn.

The form of the blade is changed somewhat from the previous disclosure, and its ivotal int on the rocking bar 1 04 is is la somewhat from the center of the arc formed by the blade in order tol give geater clearance for a large half pit to pass tween the to of the rocking bar and the inside of the b ade without'the necessity of greatly increasing the arch of the blade with a resulting increased waste of fruit cut awa with the pit. In fact, the arch of the bla e is preferably a compound curve and the displacement of the pivotal support from the true center of the arch of the 'outer curve of the blade may be considerable, and

the offset shaft while being resiliently held down or forced in direction of the offset shaft by the s ring reacting against the carrier 101, a as previously shown and described in my co-pending applicaton ireferred to, tho the form of the spring 110 and its point of application is changed slightly as the spring is now formed of wire with a loop at 110 with one end of the wire secured to the o ii'set shaft 99 and the other resting against the carrier 101 to force it toward the shaft. Also another spring 110 is now used, also secured to the shaft and reacting at its other end at .the other end of the carrier so as to provide a more` even pull to the carrier in rising andv falling on the guide pins 102. y

The carriage is, as 1n the co-pending ap-l plication, free to rock on pivot 109 while stabilized in its central position by concealed springs 103 in the carriage pressing equally against the carrier 101.

The rocker bar 104 instead of being rocked by a-revolving cam as before and which required the use of several universal joints, is now rocked by a reciprocating wire 201 in the form of a flexible Bowden cable with its shell 202 secured to the carriage 100 in a clamp bracket 203.

The rocker bar 104 takes the form of a T arm pivotally mounted in a slot `in -the carriage and with a stud 204 projecting therefrom through a small slot 205 in the side of the carriage, and the wire 201 of the cable passes through a hole in the side of the stud and issecured thereto by a screw 206 which lputs a slight crook in the wire at the point of contact to efectually hold 1t from slipping.

The wire is free `for slight displacement laterally relative to the end of the shell or casing 202 from which it extends, so as to accommodate the angular variation due to rocking the arm 104 of the rocker bar and the cable being flexible and extending down alongside of the shaft 63 offers no impediment to the shaft 63 in making its half revolution in Apitting the half fruit, or to the bodily rise or tipping of the carnage 100 in yielding to the form of the pit.

At the lower end of the cable a bracket 207 secured to the, frame 1 of the machine supports the shell 202 of the cable while the wire 201 is oscillated by a bell crank rocker arm208 pivoted at 209 to a bracket 210 also secured to the machine frame and rocked by an eccentric rod 211 actuated by any available moving part of the machine or auxiliary motor, but here shown as connected to a crank pin 212 extending from a crank disk 213y on the main drive motor 8 of the machine, tho it must be understood that since the operation of the wire should be extremely rapid this crank drive may be geared. vup .to any desired speed,y or any other eccentric or cam arrangement, mag? netic, or and other method of vibrating the wire may be used r The rockin of the knife shafts 63 Vis effected as be ore by Vresilient means (the spring 95) so that the pitting blades can stop at any point of their travel while cutting, and they are returned after finishing the cut by power from the cam 53.

Figure 4 shows all of this in conformity with the previous disclosure, the two shafts 63 each having a bevel gear 90 at their lower ends meshing with confronting bevel gears 89 carried on a rock shaft 88 rocked back and forth by a rod 87 resiliently pulled by the spring 95 to swing the blades through the fruit halves upon being permitted to do so when the cut away portion 53" of the cam 58 revolves to a. position under the cam roller 87' of the rod 87.

This action is all substantially as previously disclosed, including the clutch control rod 97 connected to an arm 90 conncctcd for movement with the shaft 88 for return each time with the completed movement of the knife shafts 63 to release the clutch lock (not shown) for effecting the next automatic forward .motion of the n'iachine. and the air cylinder 96 to prevent too sudden a return of the rod 87 in case no fruit was in place over the blades, with the important exception 'that I no'W provide manually operated means for throwing the blades back to starting point from any point of the cutting stroke, so that in event of the blades sticking for any reason they maybe instantly thrown back to starting poirt for a fresh travel through the cut, and which usually clears the obstruction, or, if not the blades may thus be thrown to starting point out of the fruit and the machine then tripped for its next automatic movement to carry the fruit away from the pitting tables for ejection from the machine whether the same be pitted or not.

This may be accomplished in many different ways in an automatic machine of this character, and I do not wish to be confined to the exact method of carrying it out as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and which consists in making theautomatic clutch tripping bar 97 double, that is, providing an auxiliary bar 97 slidably positioned on the main bar 97 so that either one will trip the clutch (not shown) by any suitable connection as previously disclosed.

The auxiliary bar vis slotted at 214 and-is slidable on pins 2.15 projecting from the main bar, and the auxiliary bar may be moved back and forth independently of the main bar by the hand lever 216 pivoted at 214- to a bracket or plate 225 carried by a suitable brace 1 of the machine frame. TheE upper end of the hand lever is adapted for gripping and movin by the operator and the lower end passes 'eely between two pins 226 projecting from the side of the auxiliary bar so that it' may be moved in either direction by manipulating the lever, butnormally is prevented from bein -so movedvby a latch 227 which locks it rom being moved to trip the machine except when the latch is released upon the blades being thrown back to starting position free from engagement with the fruit.

To thus throw the blades out of the fruit l and release the latch I provide another hand lever 228 pivoted on the pin 217 on the 'opposite side of the bracket and with its lower end lying adjacent the main bar 97 so that when the upper end of the lever is pulled in direction of the arrow the lower end will move alongside the bar 97 and when it engages a lug 229 formed on the further side of the bar it will force the bar to the right and revolve the rock shaft 88 also the knife shafts 6 3 (against the ull of spring 95) and thus throw' out the b ades at any point of their stroke.

Thus the blades may be let in and out of thecut if desired, under influence or pull of spring 95, and when thrown completely out to .starting point the lever 228 passes the latch b traveling along the bracket to the oint (Figure 5) so that either lever,

ut not both, will be free for movement in the opposite direction, and u on either being so moved the other is immediately locked by the latch being pushed out in front of it.

Figure 5 shows the action of the latch, and a pin 230 projects entirely through the bracket plate to form a stop for both levers against being moved too far beyond the latch. e

It will thus be seen that upon the blades being thrown out by lever 228 the lever 2 16 may be pushed to trip the. machine for its next movement, and that the blades will then be locked out of the fruit, or against any further operative movement, until lever 216 is returned to the position shown in Figure 4 so as to free lever 228l from contact with the lug 229 and thereby restore operative freedom to clutch releasing bar 97. A small spring 231 may be hooked to lever 228 as shown so that it will at once swing clear of the latch when released by moving the other lever.

Instead of the resiliently mounted blade of each shaft being guided in its path around the pit only by the pit asv formerly, I have provided controlling means so that the are of travel through the fruit, or at any point of travel in the fruit, may be predetermined, yet still be subject to the resilient action of the blade on its rising and rocking carriage 100, so that it may rise over a pit greater than any arc of travel so determined. This is accomplished by having a pin 218 secured to the rising carrier 101 and projecting freely through the offset portion 99 of the shaft 63, and through which arrangement lthe carriage with itis blade may be forcibly pushed outward against the returning action of springs 110 and 110 by any suitable guiding device at any desired part of its travel.

. ble in Figure 2te simultaneously control the other pitting blade also through its control pin 218.` The cam is secured in any con- Y This provides for the arched blade 79 enterin the half peach or fruit 221 in a line pe en icular to the face of the pitting tab e v10 for a short space as indicated at 222 (Figure 2) instead of the normal arcuate curve of travel dotted at 223, thus completely clearing the stem end of the pit in case it happened to be a split pit displaced from its expected position as determined for normal pits through exact position of the half fruit with reference to its stem end over the opening 10 upon the table by the machine.

This cam control it will be observed, leaves the blade free to rise or rock to conform to the pit, yet prescribes a minimum recedence of the blade in direction of the pit irrespective of the pit unless the cam lies without the normal arcuate path of pin 218 as mentioned, and therefore it is possible to give the cam surface any form whatever so that the pin will be acted upon at any point or pointsof its travel, thus in coring a half pear having no pit to guide the blade, the blade may be made to enter the pear abrutptly, follow a long shallow path as indicate at 224 and withdraw abruptl at the leaving point, so as to remove t e long shallow core of the half pear without the Waste which would be caused by swinging the blade in a half circle through the fruit.

To accomplish the above, and with reference to Figure 2, the cam 219 would simply extend to force the pin' 218 from the normal arc 220 to intercept the points denoted by the ends of dotted lines B, C, at the final end of the cut, and the ends of the lines D, E, F as shown, at the beginning of the eut. l I

The feature just described is of great value 1n adapting the apparatus to various kinds of fruit, or determining the entry of the blade to a specific kind of fruit, and while I show a specific cam' for effecting this control it is possible that other methods of control may suggest themselves by reason of this disclosure and an such are intended to be covered by the claims hereto appended.

It should also be noted that in its preferred form my arched blade Ais pivoted disresults in greater clearance for the pit without correspondingI waste, and while this would seem to cause a detrimental action or vibration of the blade in use, this appears to tinctly beyond the center of its curve which be com letely absorbed, robably due to the slight fliexibility of the b ade itself combined with the yielding flesh of the fruit.

My use of the Words pit or pitting in the claims is intended to embrace t e meaning of the Words core or coring7 I claim:

1. In a fruit itting mechanism of the character described, an arched blade mounted on a rocker bar, said rocker bar being pivotally supported for oscillation on an axis extending transversely of the plane of the arch at a point distant from the top of the arch beyond its main axis, and means for oscillating the rocker bar on said first mentioned axis.

2. In a fruit pitting mechanism of the character described, an arched blade mounted on a rocker bar, said` rocker bar being pivotally supported on an axis extending transversely of the plane of the arch at a point distant from the top of the arch beyond its main axis, said blade having teeth formed on its cutting edge adjacent the top of the arch only, and means for oscillating said rocker bar on said first mentioned axis.

3. In a fruit itting mechanism of the character described, an arched blade mounted on a rocker pivoted to rock on an axis passing perpendicularly through the plane of the arch located at a point eccentric to the main axis of the arch.

4. In a fruit pitting mechanism of the character described, an arched blade secured at opposite ends to a rocker, said rocker being spaced from thev top of the arch to present a clear arch space of more than a full half circle.

5. In a fruit pitting mechanism of the character described, an arched blade secured to a rocker adapted to rock on an axis passing perpendicularly through the arch, said rocker being spaced from the top of the arch to present a clear arch space of more than a full half circle.

6. In a fruit pitting mechanism of the character described, an arched blade secured to a rocker bar while presenting a clear space between the blade and bar for cutting out the half pit of a fruit half, said bar being pivotally supported for oscillation on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the arch, and means for rocking the bar comprising a Wire secured at one end thereto, and means at the other end of the Wire for moving same longitudinally.

7. In a structure as specified in claim 6, said Wire being slidably sustained in a casing intermediate its ends, and the means for moving the Wire longitudinally comprising `a rocker arm to which the Wire-is secured,

and means for rocking the arm.

8. In a fruit pitting mechanism of the character described, a revolvable shaft, an

arched blade carried thereby and adapted upon turning of the shaft to travel in an arcuate path for itting a fruit half, said` blade bemg yieldably mounted on the shaft,

'and means for varying the relation of the blade to the shaft While turning the same.

9. In a fruit pitting mechanism of the character described, a revolvable shaft, an arched blade 'carried thereby and adapted upon turning the shaft to travel in an arcuate path for itting a fruit half, said blade being yielda ly mounted on the shaft and provided with means for resiliently forcing it toward the shaft, and means opposing said first mentioned means for varylng the relation of the blade to the shaft While turning the same.

10. In a fruit pitting mechanism of the character described, a revolvable shaft, an arched blade carried thereby and adapted upon turning of the shaft to travel in an arcuate path for pitting a fruit half, and means for modifying the normal path of travel of said blade upon turning the shaft.

11. In a fruit pitting mechanism of 'the character described, a revolvable shaft, an

arched blade carried thereby and adapted upon turning of the shaft to travel in an arcuate path for pitting a -fruit half, and means for modifying the normal path of travel of said blade upon turning the shaft whereby the blade Will enter the fruit abruptly at the beginning of its stroke.

12. In a Yfruit pitting mechanism of the character described, a revolvable shaft, an arched blade carried thereby and adapted upon turning of the shaft to travel in an arcuate path for pitting a fruit half, and cam means arranged for modifying the no rmal path of the blade upon turning the shaft.

13. In a fruit pitting mechanism of the character described, a revolvable shaft, a carrier mounted thereon and resiliently urged thereagainst, an arched blade on said carrier adapted upon turning of the shaft to travel in an arcuate path for pitting a fruit half, and means active against the carf rier adapted to move same outwardly from the shaft to modify the normal path of travel of the blade upon turning the shaft.

14. In a fruitpitting mechanism of the character described, a revolvable shaft having an offset portion, an arched blade pivotally supported on the o'set portion and rotatable bodily with the shaft, and flexible driving means extending alon the side .of

the shaft arranged for oscillatlng the blade on its pivotal support. 15. 4In a fruit pitting mechanism of the character described, a revolvable shaft having an offset portion, an arched blade carthe rocker arm for oscillating the same, and means for oscillating the wire.

16. Ina fruit pitting mechanism of the vcharacter described, a bowed blade mounted character described, a revolvable shaft, a blade mounted thereon adapted to swing in a curve to cut out a half pit of a half fruit presented thereto upon turning the shaft, resilient means for turning the shaft to swing the blade and whereby the blade may lag upon meeting an obstruction in cutting thefruit, and-means controlled by the operator for reversing the shaft before completion of the cut whereby the blade is returned to starting position.

18. In a fruit pitting machine of the character described, a revolvable shaft, a blade mounted thereon adapted to swing in a curve to out out a half pit of a half fruit presented thereto upon turning the shaft, automatic means for turnin the shaft to swing the blade through t e fruit, and means for optionally interrupting the travel of the blade during the cutting operation and Vfor returning it to startin position.

19. In a fruit itting mac ine' of the character describe ,a curved blade mounted to travel in an arcuate path adapted to cut out a half pit from, a half fruit presented thereto, means for automatically swinging the blade through the fruit when in position thereover, and manually operated means for breakin th'e automatic connection whereby the bla e is held free of the fruit with the machine free to run.

20. In a fruit pitting machine of the character described, a blade mounted to travel in an arcuate path adapted to cut out a half pit from`a half fruit presented thereto, means for automatically swinging the blade in its path throu h the fruit when in position thereover, an manually operated. means for breaking the automatic connection and for throwing the blade to starting osition from any point of its stroke free o the fruit with the machine free to run.

21. In a fruit pitting machine of the character described, a blade mounted to travel in an arcuate path adapted to cut'out a half pit fromy 'a half fruit presented thereto, means for automatically swinging the blade in its path through the fruit when in position thereover, and manually operated means for breakin the automatic connection to the blade and or throwing the blade to starting position free of the fruit, manually controlled means for locking the blade in free osition, and lmeans for starting the machme with the blade so locked.

22. In a fruit pitting machine of the chari acter described, a blade mounted to travel in an arcuate path adapted to cut out a half pit from a half fruit presented vtheretoL'0 means for automatically swinging the blade in its path throu h the fruit when in position thereover, an manually operated means for breaking the automatlc connection to the blade and for locking theblade in free position, and means for 'unlocking the blade effective only vupon stog ing the machine.

J gE H P. BEM. 

